A Melbourne fan as a kid, Fowler was runner-up in the Oakleigh Districts senior Best and Fairest at 16-years-old before joining the RichmondUnder 19's as a zone player.

He made the Tigers' senior list in his third season and won a premiership as a 22-year-old in 1973 - famously running through Carlton giant John Nicholls - but quit Punt Road when he was omitted from the 1974 Grand Final side.

Considering his senior options too limited to try and convince him to stay, Richmond sold Fowler to Melbourne for $15,000 before the 1975 season. He had originally asked to go to Footscray before changing his mind.

Unwanted by the Tigers, Fowler made an instant impact at Melbourne and won the Demons Best and Fairest award in his first season. He beat Stan Alves, who had finished second in that year's Brownlow Medal. In 1976 he finished second in the award.

In 1978 he had to be talked out of retirement before the season after being relegated to the reserves, then in May he briefly quit the club and asked for a clearance, incensed that he had been replaced early in a match against North Melbourne.

"The coach has made it clear to me he doesn't think I'm good enough for his team" Fowler said at the time. Coach Dennis Jones had apparently told him that his career was coming to an end. Despite being chased by North Melbourne, Richmond, Geelong, Collingwood and Norwood, Fowler declared peace three days later and returned to the Demons.

Dominant in the back pocket in often poor teams, Fowler won his third Best and Fairest in 1980 despite having been involved in a contractual dispute before the year, and represented Victoria but at the end of 1981 the thirty-year-old finally walked out for good after new negotiations for a contract fell over.

Fowler joined the Tony Sullivan coached Waverley in the VFA before captain/coaching Springvale to a 2nd Division premiership in 1983. He coached the Scorpions until the end of the 1985 season.